I met the chaps behind new watch brand Morgenwerk in Hong Kong of all places, though this is not an Asian watch brand. Morgenwerk comes from the people responsible for a small brand called Neolog out of Germany. What they showed me was damn impressive, and is officially THE watch my inner gadget lover craves this year - it is also affordable. There is a lot to say about the simply named Satellite Precision (SP) collection of watches, I will begin by mentioning a very cool feature which will make these timepieces more accurate than your mobile phones or computers. In fact, the SP collection as a whole is full of redundant features to promote accuracy - in a refreshingly obsessive style.

What do you get when you combine a thermo-compensated quartz movement with GPS satellite synching and a newly developed "self learning" movement that compensates for its own errors? Probably the most accurate timepiece in the world. You see, mobile phones have basic internal clocks that use inexpensive electronic quartz movements which can deviate by 15-30 seconds per month. They remain more accurate because they sync with a signal from the carrier on a regular basis - that is assuming the signal itself is accurate and available. Computers often work the same way by synching with an external source to remain on time.

The thermo-compensated quartz movement in Satellite Precision watches is accurate to about 10 seconds a year without any external intervention. I don't have enough time to discuss the nature of thermo-compensated movements in this article - but they make adjustments for variations in temperature that can effect the timing results of quartz movements. These Morgenwerk, and a few other high-end watches from brands such as Breitling, have them inside. Step two for accuracy in the SP collection is satellite synchronization. This feature allows the watches to receive signals from GPS satellites to not only remain accurate, but to update the watch with the timezone that you are currently in - no matter which one of the 39 global timezones you may find yourself. The system looks for data from up to six satellites at a time and then chooses three with the strongest signals to sync with. It takes about 8-90 seconds to sync. Between the thermo-compensated base movement and the satellite synchronization, the timepieces are no less than (plus/minus) accurate to three seconds a month. But it doesn't stop there.

Morgenwerk's icing on their titanium cake is a new AI system which "learns" the rate of error each time the watch syncs ups with a satellite. Basically, the watch recognizes how "off" it tends to be and compensates itself mathematically. So here is an example of how accurate it can get after synching up several times (and learning). Assuming you sync with a satellite just once a month, you are going to expect accuracy of no less than 0.8 seconds off per month in a Morgenwerk Satellite Precision watch. That is pretty damn cool, and very accurate.

"GPS watches" as they are often called, have become more popular over the last few years starting with some niche sport pieces. These often bulky timepieces also come with very short battery lives of less than a full day. In the last year Japanese brands Seiko and Citizen released their own watches that synchronize with satellites. Quite cool, the Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave (hands-on here), and Seiko Astron GPS (hands-on here), were not only limited in their production, but also quite expensive. The German Morgenwerk Mark 1, Mark 2, and Mark 3 watches are priced less than these Japanese watches, and have some additional features. I will however remind you that Seiko and Citizen satellite watches do feature light-power generation and are worth learning about if this style of watch interests you.

Morgenwerk SP watches will need a recharge from time to time, but there is a lot of good news in the power department. While you won't need to replace the batteries of an SP watch, you will need to recharge the timepiece using an external unit. The good news is that with weekly satellite syncs, the watch will go 2-3 months between charges. There is also a power saving mode that extends the battery life up to 15 months without having it sync up with the sky.

Here is where it gets really cool - the external charging base. Each SP watch comes with a puck-shaped charger that does a few things. To put the watch in the dock you pull out part of the side (cool), and the charger can be hooked up with USB to a computer or AC adapter for juice. There is more. As you can see, the charger even has a solar panel on it... and a battery inside. While solar power generation isn't quick, you can place the charger in the sun if you are away from a power source and it will either directly charge the watch or a battery in the charger which can store enough energy to fully charge the battery inside of the timepiece twice over. This my friends is what happens when German engineering gets involved with a device such as this.

OK, now you get a basic idea of the Satellite Precision watch concept and how they work. Let's talk about the watches themselves. For me, I would sum them up by saying that they are like a cross between Casio ProTrek and Porsche Design timepieces. That means a mixture of good looking modern design and lots of accessible functionality. There are going to be three versions of the Morgenwerk Satellite Precision watch at launch called the M1, M2, and M3 models (aka Mark 1, Mark 2, and Mark 3). The models will range in size as well as functionality, and have dials that contain either Arabic hour numerals or baton-style hour numerals.

The Mark 1 will be the most simple Morgenwerk Satellite Precision watch in a 43.8mm wide (14mm thick) case that you can get in either steel or titanium. The dial is purely analog, but it does tell more than just the time. Using the pushers on the case you can see the date, as well as an indicator of what timezone you are currently located in. You can also see whether or not you are located in a place with daylight savings time in effect. The high-contrast dial is functional without being too boring. It is legible with a design that seems to mix military styling with Bauhaus aesthetics. Again, so Germanic and I love it.

While the Morgenwerk watch cases are metal, there are panels on the bottom and top lug structures which receive the satellite signals. Worried about the durability of these panels, Morgenwerk assured me that they are very hard and coated to be scratch resistant. They seemed to consider so many fine details, it didn't surprise me that they ensured the panels would be secure as well. I also want to note that the watches you see before you are pre-production prototypes. That means little details and finishes on the final versions will be updated and upgraded.

According to Morgenwerk, the Satellite Precision watches are water resistant to 50 meters - which is pretty good given the charging ports and other features. While it might be a while before there is a diving model, these are certainly watches meant to be worn and relied upon in the field. The way the design seems to gloss over the extreme nerd appeal is impressive. I've always said that for me, something like a Casio ProTrek is the ideal watch, assuming that I never want to impress anyone. With the SP watches you can have a gadget watch without looking like a nerd. That is actually sort of important in this industry.

The Morgenwerk Satellite Precision M2 is very similar to the M1 but in a larger 46mm wide case that is 15mm thick and only available in titanium. You'll notice various finishes on the cases that offer either a darker black or more natural titanium finish. When the final watches come out we will know more about all the finishing options available. It is also worth noting that the dials use SuperLumiNova as lume for the hands and hour markers, and an AR coated sapphire crystal is used over the dial.

Things start to get much more interesting with the Morgenwerk Satellite Precision M3 models. These are analog/digital watches that include a negative LCD panel (light indicators on a dark screen) behind the analog dial. Here is where Morgenwerk really competes with brands like Casio, Tissot, and Breitling in terms of functionality. The Mark 3 watches contain extra sensors to also include a compass, thermometer, barometer, and altimeter function into the timepiece. You'll use a combination of the hands and digital display to read all that information. The M3 also has a full calendar (with an attractive display), chronograph, alarm, and weather forecasting tool. Plus, the various models and information displays are attractive and rather user-friendly to operate.

The Morgenwerk M3 is the largest of the three watches at 48mm wide and 16mm thick. Having said that, the pieces are still rather wearable given the titanium case material and overall design. When the final versions come out we will see all the strap options, as well as model variations available. I am pretty darn excited.

If the Morgenwerk Satellite Precision collection is successful it will certainly be a disruptive product in the watch industry marrying good design and a ton of functionality. Especially for the price... Morgenwerk's intended starting price for the M1 is $1,100, going up to $1,900 for a top-of-the-line M3 model - and each is said to be an individually numbered limited edition. That is still under $2,000 for their best watch, and these pack a lot of value. The price range will no doubt attract collectors, but what about more casual watch enthusiasts?

The over $1,000 price point is still hard to breach for the mass market, but Morgenwerk will likely position the Satellite Precision collection as a high-end "go anywhere" sports and adventure watch. There are also going to be a lot professional-use agencies which might find the piece interesting. Morgenwerk is further banking on the fact that satellite controlled watches will soon outshine watches that are controlled by radio signals from atomic clocks (which have a much more limited service area). Morgenwerk's official website will launch at the beginning of 2013, with the first watches scheduled to ship around the spring time of 2013. We can't wait.

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Fueled by an unshakable love for horology and a general curiosity for intricate things, Ariel Adams founded aBlogtoWatch in 2007 as a means of sharing his passion. Since then, ABTW has become the highest trafficked blog on luxury timepieces, and Ariel has become a contributor to other online publications such as Forbes, Departures and Tech Crunch, to name just a few. His conversational writing style and inclusive attitude brings a wider appreciation for watches the world over, and that's just the way he likes it.
Follow me on Google+ Ariel Adams

High tech (and functional) without looking geeky. I love it. And the aggressive pricing helps too. Eager to see more when they are in production.

DG Cayse

I like them. Excellent of use and forwarding of technology. Bravo!
Now if they can do a 300 meter WR with shock-proofing…well that would be the deal maker…lol!

Eric S

Agree with you, Ariel, there is little not to like about these watches! I hope they make it here to Japan! I will surely buy one if possible!

http://www.morgen-werk.com MORGENWERK

Eric S Hi Eric, Japan will get a distribution.

Eric S

MORGENWERK Eric S Glad to hear it! Thanks for the reply.

Borys Bozzor Pawliw

I am just waiting for the Casio Protrek version of this…the ultimate banger watch.

Kris C

Cool. UI’m ready to check one out in the flesh.
That said, no self-respecting functional field-ready ABC would have less than 100M of water resistance. I understand the limitations with the opening panels, etc – but that simply has to be improved if you want to sell a bunch of these. I would never replace my Protrek with this based on that feature alone. As mentioned, this also does not look like it could take much of a beating either, which is also important.

shinytoys

I love these watches, and the accuracy redundancy has me smiling big time. But A.A. that’s between 1K AND 2k of coolness. Am I losing touch with what is considered affordable these days. The Skyhawk AT Blue Angel Titanium seems like the bargain of the year. I have to get with the times…

Ulysses31

Nice looking dials, I dare say actually quite stylish. Where these fall down is in the charging system. I think a German engineer worth his salt would laugh at such an obvious detail as placing a solar panel on the charging unit. If these watches had an integrated solar cell in the dial, they would have been real competition for the Citizen/Seiko models, but in their current form you are trading one inconvenience for another. The Seiko has a +-15s/m movement but the regular satellite synching makes this a completely moot point. In practical use you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in accuracy between the Morgenwerk and the Seiko/Citizen even with a timing machine unless you were expecting the entire GPS network to fail and remain down for months on end. On cost alone the Morgenwerk (a no name brand, let’s be honest here) has an advantage but I wouldn’t want to charge it every few months. The set-and-forget convenience of an atomic-accurate timepiece is somewhat ruined by having to charge the thing every now and then

WelcomedRain

Ulysses31 I think you will find that both the Seiko and the Citizen Satellite watches require manual satellite syncing. So… not so much “set and forget” unfortunately.

Hacker4748

WelcomedRain Ulysses31 Is this found in some review or first-hand knowledge? Both should sync automatically, the Citizen during daytime, the Seiko when it detects sufficient light levels (when it thinks it’s outside during the day).

Ulysses31

WelcomedRain Ulysses31 According to the manual, the watch will try to access GPS satellites whenever the charge level is sufficiently high, with no prompting. You can force it to do so by pressing a single button.

WelcomedRain

Ulysses31 Quite right. I stand corrected. I just looked the automatic function up in the Astron’s User Manual. The thing that threw me was their advertising (which is still on their site), which says “This watch can be set to the precise local timeby just one button operation anywhere in the world.” I took that to mean you needed to push the button for the satellite syncing to take place. My impression on the Citizen was based on a review and subsequent blog interaction but I have not looked that up. The one potential issue I see with the Astron though is (according to the manual) “The automatic time adjustment is performed at most once per day. Therefore, even if automatic time adjustment has failed, the next automatic time adjustment will be performed the next day or thereafter.” So… conceivably you may still need to watch the watch to make sure it gets sufficient signal and light for the required automatic adjustment. This can be checked on the watch to see if the adjustment has been successful or not but given the requirement for sufficient light and view of the sky, automatic updates might still be a challenge. Thank you for pointing out my error as I had looked specifically for the automatic update feature on Seiko’s site previously but unsuccessfully.

Ulysses31

WelcomedRain Ulysses31 The Seiko is a work of compromise, but in my view reasonable ones considering the restrictions on power imposed by running a GPS module, albeit a very efficient one. I think it is too expensive for what it is, but it does what it does with the least inconvenience to the user, and no bulky charger is a plus for me.

WelcomedRain

Ulysses31 WelcomedRain You know one of my complains about my Casio Edifice which is radio synced… also seems like it would be a complaint with the Seiko Astron and Citizen, and that is… you don’t know when the last time is successfully synced. You only know if it properly synced on the last attempt. That is a drag. With my Edifice, it is not reliable. When traveling in Hawaii, South Korea, China and Japan on vacation in April it never successfully synced once and when at home it might successfully sync only intermittently. So it would be nice to have indicators on Satellite watches which let you know how many days it has been since the watch successfully synced. Since it only tries once a day at most… this would be helpful. I think the attraction of a satellite watch is its near perfect precision. Without having any idea if it has been a day or a week since it successfully completed a sync, that detracts from the main feature of the watch. Just say’n.

nateb123

WelcomedRain Ulysses31
Unless the Astron GPS or Satellite Wave is inside, it will sync. They can also be forced to sync. For radio controlled watches you need to be within range of a tower broadcasting atomic time.
So in Hawaii it won’t ever sync. In Korea, China and Japan, it will only sync if its a newer Multiband 5 or 6 model. Wave Ceptor technology will only detect Boulder, CO and Frankfurt towers. Finally if the watch is shielded from the radio signal during night time, it won’t sync. You have to bring it to an area that gets reception and force sync it. Also you Edifice must be old because all the new ones, G-Shocks, Protreks, Astron GPS and Citizens will show the last time a sync was done.

WelcomedRain

Okay… I’m confused. You said, “The thermo-compensated quartz movement in Satellite Precision watches is accurate to about 10 seconds a year without any external intervention.” but then you say, “Between the thermo-compensated base movement and the satellite synchronization, the timepieces are no less than (plus/minus) accurate to three seconds a month.”; but if the thermo-compensating quartz movement is accurate to ten seconds per year… that would mean that without any other intervention, the watch would be accurate to plus/minus 0.833 seconds per month… much more accurate than your referenced plus/minus three seconds a month. Am I missing something?

nateb123

Amazed that people are actually impressed by this. The value is crap. This watch just screams “Made on the cheap in China”. The movement is obviously Chinese, the dial is cheap as a dial gets (looks like a $100 Kenneth Cole), and the strap is trash. Plus anything that boasts about unimpressive features like “Solid Steel” are best avoided.
Get a Citizen A-T or Pro Trek with Multiband (hell, you could get both!) and save your money. This isn’t just poor quality, this is a scam. I’m honestly shocked something like this is even on ABLW. Have some standards.

gffuentes

nateb123 i agree that the strap is pretty ugly and cheap looking – the strange plastic looking attachments right where the time piece connects to the strap is always very cheap looking as well. I disagree on the dial front though, i think they look quite nice on that end.
Overall though, awful value – i dont see these offering enough to justify the price.

http://ablogtoread.com Ariel Adams

Everyone’s comments are great but I don’t really understand the one calling this watch cheap or overpriced. There just isn’t precedent for that. Satellite controlled watches are not the same as atomic clock controlled ones. Actually, just take watches with the same features and compare their prices. What are the prices of the Seiko Astron GPS? What about the Citizen Satellite Wave watch? What about watches with thermo-compensated quartz movements? These pieces are prototypes and those are not final straps. You all make it sounds like these should be priced at $300, when the features inherent in the watches don’t suggest that. There might be some quirks to the pieces which will be smoothed out before the final versions, but it sounds like you guys are being pretty harsh.

MarkCarson

nateb123
Multi-band watches have far, far from world-wide coverage. Living in Hawaii, they are useless to me. Plus the GPS watches via positioning can locate your time zone, another strike against the multi-band watches. Agree the price is still high for this watch but is is certainly better than the Seiko Astron GPS watches. Technology will drive the price down on all GPS watches in the future. But for now, where is there a better deal on a GPS watch?
Cheers

The problem for me is that this is a watch and brand trying to bridge gaps… And that’s dangerous. On the one hand, I love super accurate, self-correcting gadgety aspect, however not for $1k+, when a new Casio ProTrek does pretty much the same (and more) for less than $300 to $500. On the other hand you get what appears like a stylish mechanical, as Ariel said, Porshe Design-like, German-made timepiece … But it’s really not a timepiece and for that price point ($1k to $2k) you can get a Sinn 856 or other Sinn models that won’t be as accurate, however, will be super solid, chock full of high tech (sulphate capsules, high water resist, tegimented steel, …) brilliant Bauhaus design and of true horological pedigree.

vmarks

Where is the contact information for Morgenwerk? If I wanted to buy, how would I go about this?

nateb123

vmarks Withdraw your cash, place it in a metal trash bin, set ablaze.

vmarks

@nateb123 The band detail between the lugs isn’t great, but the dials and hands aren’t bad at all. They’re certainly not the retro or minimalist style I usually look for, but the M2 dial is just about my speed. If the band antennae detail gets better since these are pre-production, I’d be even happier.

nateb123

vmarks It’s just that dials and hands are often cheaply made even on fairly decent watches that want a super legible look, so they fly under the radar a bit here. It’s more that each component sends a consistent message of extremely low quality to me, having worked with product development. I can tell the suppliers they’re using and I know their catalogs. The movement is going to be an absolute gong show with this many features and no operation like this has decent parts availability or warranty service.
This is just a Chinese watch hiding behind a German name. It`s worth maybe 150 with that solar charging unit, not what they’re asking.

vmarks

@nateb123 What a great reply. What product categories do you normally produce products for? What do you think the FOB cost for a movement like this is, as opposed to the msrp they’re asking?

nateb123

vmarks Mostly outdoor and diving watches. I really couldn’t give an accurate answer on their cost because I suspect their business works very differently from how a US, Swiss or Japanese company would. Morgenwerk is probably just a name that the supplier conglomerate has given to their own products. Obviously the margins are much higher if the company making the watches just slaps a German-sounding name on it, sticks it in a warehouse nearby, then sells online rather than through a retailer.
Basically the watch industry doesn’t get any closer to 100% margins than this.

http://www.morgen-werk.com/ MORGENWERK

nateb123 Interesting observation. What are your assumptions based on?

nateb123

MORGENWERK The lack of a refutation after I’ve been railing against these watches is pretty damning by itself, but the dial’s lack of “Japan Mov’t”, “Made in Germany”, etc. makes it pretty obvious this is entirely Chinese anyways.
The Morgen Werk logo was also shopped on later (the white of the logo is warmer than the other white elements in each picture) meaning this was a package entirely assembled by the supplier, then a logo was slapped on after the fact. Probably because the Neolog guys weren’t involved until well after the product was created. Plus this looks nothing like what the owners of Neolog would do, they have far more design sense than this exhibits so their involvement is likely minimal.

http://www.morgen-werk.com/ MORGENWERK

nateb123 Well, honestly nate, this is much to silly to reason about. I was hoping that the irony of me asking about the bases of your assumptions would give you a heads up, but I have to have my doubts now that this could lead to anything constructive. Thank you for your input.

vmarks

MORGENWERK nateb123 can you tell more information about the source of the movement? About product support and servicing? I’d like to be sure that any watch I own can be supported or serviced for years to come.

nateb123

MORGENWERK nateb123 Hey, I’m just some guy on the internet. No one has any reason to believe anything I say, claimed experience or not. But when you pop by representing Morgen Werk, and get smarmy in the comments because someone calls your stuff crap, that lack of professionalism sticks out like a sore thumb. If you could call bs on something I’ve said, you have no reason not to have done so by now.

MarkCarson

nateb123
I have no “dog in this fight” but checking their domain name is appears that this is a German company. That does not imply where stuff is made or anything else, but your implication that this is a Chinese company with a Germany name seems to be in contrast with information is publicly available.Their choosing not to get into a flame fest with you is entirely their call and proves nor disproves anything. Cheers.
morgen-werk.com
owner-name: Atakam Cicek
owner-address: BÃ¶rnestr. 6
owner-city: Hamburg
owner-state:
owner-country: DE
owner-postcode: 22089
owner-telephone: +1.6174997200
owner-fax:
owner-email: atakans@web.de

somethingnottaken

nateb123 Then you most likely own or work for a company that competes with Morgen Werk. And that conflict of interest leaves me suspcious of your comments.

Very interesting. I first noticed a ‘Satellite Precision’ watch in the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair post here: http://www.ablogtowatch.com/the-heart-and-the-hand-of-watch-making-at-the-hong-kong-watch-clock-fair/
It was presented under the Neolog brand: http://www.ablogtowatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Hong-Kong-Watch-Clock-Fair-21.jpg
I’m not completely sure right now, but I think when I looked up the expected price, it was much less back then. Did Neolog guys decide to make a new ‘premium’ brand with the same (most likely Chinese) product?
The MSRP are ridiculous to say the least, but let’s not forget about the practices of brands such as Invicta and Stuhrling, with their inflated MSRP and mad discounts. It may just be that Morgenwerk are planning to head in the same direction with these. I hope they do.

somethingnottaken

The M2 and M3 are too big for my wrist. A watch with the M3 feature set in an M1 sized case would be nice. Even a small LCD panel for displaying date, timezone and daylight savings time yes/no would make the M1 more compelling.

I am extremely late to this discussion, but could not help myself ;0-)
Ariel, you state the watch has an internal accuracy of 10 seconds a year…
Then you go on to say that with the ‘training’ device, it will improve…..To 0.8 seconds a year.

So that means 10 seconds a year, compared to 9.6 seconds a year- with effort.

I do love these kinds of techie watches, however I get a result of about 4 seconds per year with my Grand Seiko quartz,
So if it is accuracy we are discussing, then the whole effort seems pointless to me, except for the timezone aspect.

Sebhelyesfarku

The Omega Megaquartz 2’400 was (is) accurate to 1s per month already in 1974 without satellite reciever, atomic clock radio and whatnot. What an evolution of quartz watches in 40 years LOL